Young Minnesota Wild player James Sheppard scored his first NHL goal on Thursday night vs. the Edmonton Oilers. Sheppard got a piece of a rebound and scooped the puck past Edmonton goalie Dwayne Roloson.  

Trainer Tony DaCosta held Sheppard's milestone puck, but Sheppard didn't know which teammate scooped it from the net.

"I was still all dazed and confused, and it was just good to see the puck in the net," Sheppard said.

Sheppard is getting a lot of playing time for a developing rookie mostly due to Dominic Moore and Pavol Demitra sitting out due to injuries. Lemaire is using Sheppard on the power play because he's strong with the puck and can play well in front of the net. Some of the Wild personnel are concerned about Sheppard over doing it.

GM Doug Risebrough said of the 19-year-old, "I think he's playing too much right now. If I look at the plan, it was for him to practice, it was to watch games and it was to play him when he's confident."

This MN Wild Freak says if Sheppard can hold his own and it looks like he can, let him play. Sheppard didn’t look out of place and he even put a point on the board, why not let him play? He could be our own Sidney Crosby...